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She only has two teeth, but the kid is walking! It’s so fun to watch her cruise around and she gets a kick out of going for “walks” around the house or out in front of our house, holding one of our fingers and waddling around.

Other things she’s doing that at least we find interesting:

• Pointing at everything and saying “that?” or at least that’s our interpretation. This is constant from the moment she gets up and throughout the day. Most of the time we don’t have a clue what she’s pointing at, but we just start naming anything in the general vicinity of her finger’s direction.
• Her food consumption has gone up and she’s trying all kinds of new things, but peaches remain her number one favorite food, followed by any kind of beans.
• Climbing. She loves to climb–stairs, pillows, the fireplace, the playground–you name it. Up and down, up and down.
• Playing the piano. Whether it’s the little toy piano she got for Christmas, Mawmaw’s traditional upright, or John’s electronic piano she likes making “music”.
• The playground down the street from our house gets a lot of visits from us. Nearly every day, unless it’s rainy, we try to get down there and let her swing and slide (which she fearlessly goes down head first). Sometimes we’ll meet John there on his way home from work so he can get some park time in too. Yay for more light in the evening!
• She doesn’t really play with her toys too much. She spends most of her awake time making trips between her room, the living room and the kitchen, taking a few minutes here and there to climb on something, drag a book around, pull all the videos off the shelf, play with the magnets on the fridge, open all the kitchen cupboards, throw/chase a ball (or the new hacky sack from Gum) around, and take all the shoes off the shoe rack.
• Reading books. Okay, really she likes turning the pages and seeing how fast we can read the book to her. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Snowy Day, Knuffle Bunny, and the book her Gus made herabout herself are her favorites.[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]
• Giving kisses. She’s not super consistent about it, but this month she really started giving kisses more and it’s the usual kid-open-mouth deal, but somehow we still want her to kiss us!

This month she went on her first snow adventures. The first was at Timberline where we climbed to the top of Palmer chairlift (about 8500 feet). John skied down and I snowshoed to where we met at the Silcox Hut and then down to the parking lot. The second was on a snow day with her cousins and Great Uncle Daryl to White River day use area. We spent some time hiking in our snowshoes and then sledding. She wasn’t a big fan of sledding, but she’s doesn’t mind hanging out in the pack and being hauled around!

What a trip! We flew in Saturday afternoon and were so lucky that we got to see every member of the Rickey family (Jeff, Debbie, Jon, Angela, Jacob, Joshua, Ali, Kyle, Maddie, and David!) over dinner at Jon and Angela’s. It was really special to be part of the gathering and to be able to introduce Sage to them all. We really enjoyed the time together through Saturday night and Sunday morning. Unfortunately, our time ended not in the way planned as Jon and Angela’s car was broken into and valuable items were stolen while we played at a park with the kids. (Definitely not as good as our plan to grab lunch at In and Out before hitting the road!) We left Jon and Angela with a Glendale police officer and them quickly making calls to credit card companies to alert them of the theft. Boo.

Our first stop from Phoenix was about 2.5 hours north in Flagstaff, which would be our home base for two nights. It’s pretty incredible to drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff as so much changes in such a short distance. We drove through desert and cacti and temperatures in the 60s to mountains and snow and temperatures in the 30s. We followed our noses from our hotel to the university district (Northern Arizona University seemed to be the lifeblood of Flagstaff), convinced that there had to be good, cheap food nearby. And there was! We found some delicious Mexican food that hit the spot. (Our personal rule–held loosely of course–when eating in Arizona: Eat as much authentic Mexican food as we can… and if there’s none to be found, go to In and Out or Pei Wei.)

Our Grand Canyon day started early as we wanted to make sure we had the most amount of daylight as we could in the park. Sage was sick with her first cold so we didn’t leave quite as early as planned, but we still managed to arrive mid-morning. The Grand Canyon is pretty amazing! It seemed so bizarre to me how you just drive and drive and there is really no sign of anything “grand” and then, all of a sudden, you’re standing at the edge of this massively deep canyon, almost without warning. Crazy.

It was plenty cold, which we had, thankfully, prepared for, but the sun was out and began warming us. We did our best to maximize our one day in the park, and taking into consideration a sick baby. After our walk to the rim and a few photos with hundreds of other people trying to get the same shot (SO glad we weren’t there in the summer, I’m sure it’s CRAZY with people!), we jumped a bus and ventured out on a trail down into the Canyon to “Ah-Ha Point”. The layers of the Canyon were incredible and just gorgeous–really, such a different view and beauty to hike into the Canyon versus standing on the rim.  Truly stunning! We continued to marvel at the depth and color and layers and all that we don’t know about geology.

Hiking out we grabbed the bus again and headed the opposite direction to the end of the park road at Hermit’s Rest. There were many beautiful stops along the way. At the end of the trek we got out and enjoyed a cup of cocoa inside a really cool, old stone house. Once warmed up, we returned to one of the lookout points to take in the sunset. It wasn’t an epic sunset, but the scene was still certainly epic. We picked a spot where you could see the Colorado River and soaked in the last rays of the cold winter sun before it got really cold. Finally, back on the bus and back to our car and, eventually, back to Flagstaff (but not after some more Mexican food!).

The following morning we headed out of Flagstaff going southwest this time with a destination of Sedona. We weren’t really sure (beyond big rocks) what to expect, but had been told by a friend, and Phoenix-native, that it was a must see. Wowsers! This place was the perfect spot for us. Warm, blue sky, sunny, and serious hiking. We stopped at visitors info booth and got a list of hikes; decided rather than doing the “easy” hike the attendant had recommended (he spotted the baby and took us for “easy” kind of folks) and went straight to Bear Mountain–5 miles round trip, 1800 feet elevation gain. Not the hardest hike ever, but it was no 1.5 miles round trip on a flat grade either. We had to bust it out in order to get back to Phoenix in time to pick up John’s parents from the airport, but it was just what we needed and was so incredibly beautiful. Sure didn’t hurt that it was in the high 60s either! Sage was feeling better, it felt so good to be working hard in the sun, and the scenery was great. Ah…an awesome way to end our time outside of Phoenix (well, that and the barbeque pork sandwich we grabbed on the way out of town! Do I talk about food too much? )

We made it to the Phoenix Airport just in time to meet John’s parents. The five of us headed to John’s sister’s home where the rest of our Juarez team was hanging out. The following morning all 15 of us packed the cars and drove to El Paso and then over the border! The rest of the trip can be read about in previous blog posts.

This is the second year we have had both Macy and Hatch families living in the same city–we are so grateful for this–and are learning how to “do” holidays in a new way. We had the added bonus this Christmas of one of Erin’s sisters and her family joining us all the way from Fairbanks, Alaska! Our celebrating began Christmas Eve with the annual fancy breakfast. Usually this takes place at The London Grill, the restaurant of The Benson Hotel downtown Portland, but this year we opted to stay close to home and eat at JORY (which can be seen from our backyard). Crab cakes benedict were enjoyed by many (not by me!) and the meal was gorgeous, as seen below!

We do have to show off Sage’s Christmas Eve outfit, which Sherry made from an old sweater. The coolest!

A little Christmas Eve family photo session:

From JORY we headed to our house where we exchanged stocking gifts…

The rest of Christmas Eve was spent prepping for Christmas Day and enjoying the Christmas Eve service at NFC, which John played in this year.

Christmas itself was fun and definitely different having a kid! We seriously debated on whether or not to get Sage gifts, knowing she really would have no clue what was going on or care in the least. (I mean, the girl didn’t hardly even blink at the Christmas tree!) The whole of Christmas Day was spent with the Hatch family. Unfortunately our six-year-old niece came down with a stomach bug and spent the day quite uncomfortable. Not her best Christmas. It quickly passed to the rest of us and we all had a touch of it over the next couple of days. By mid-week we were through it and ready to get out and have some fun. The rest of the week was spent going to the movies, bowling, the Portland Children’s Museum; watching football and basketball; playing Spot It! and doing puzzles; and just hanging out.

In the end, we actually bought Sage two gifts–an activity doll and a toy cell phone–but did not give her either. She was so overwhelmed by all the fun gifts grandparents and aunts and uncles showered her with that it seemed better for us to save her gifts for her birthday in two months. That’s a win-win, I’d say!

It was a fun Christmas and we were so thankful to be able to enjoy it with so much family (and we really missed the family who couldn’t make it)! Oh, and my best gift? John gave me a day off–from 8am to 5pm on a weekday, he will take a vacation day and take care of Sage while I go out and do anything I please. Also promised was one movie ticket and a popcorn. Pretty awesome, right!?

For a quick look at the build check out this short video taken over the two days of construction.

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As you can see the whole thing happens so quickly. It feels like we have barely arrived on the job site and the walls are going up. This home went to Jasmine and her two sons Fidencio (5) and Alvieri (2). Can you imagine working seven days a week from 1am to 6:30am and then returning home to care for two young boys, one of whom has cerebral palsy, by yourself? That’s Jasmine’s life right now. I don’t think most of us can get our minds around the first concept of working seven days a week, much less the second. This young woman was certainly in need of a break.

It’s difficult to synthesize even a short trip into a readable blog post so here are some bullet point thoughts/reflections/rememberings/summaries:

• Caravanned from Phoenix to El Paso on Wednesday and met up with our Missions Ministries contacts: The Fields family and Jesús.
• The border crossing was longer than hoped for as we had to unload part of our U-haul-type trailer for an inspection. Held our breath and prayed, hoping they wouldn’t turn us back. Made it through and arrived at the Team Center more than 12 hours after leaving Phoenix.
• Sage was quickly adopted by the fabulous kitchen staff at the Team Center.
• Job site this year was quite different from last year and much more centrally located in the town. This meant a much smaller property to work on and several onlookers including some young men working on the house next door and the neighbor, Carmen, who Krista and Erin had the chance to chat up.
• Sherry and Erin swapped off caring for Sage and Sage napped on and off throughout the time on the job site. She was a trooper! Especially considering she had her first cold.
• Jasmine worked hard along side us pounding nails, hanging insulation, and painting. Fidencio scooted himself around on the ground with a hammer and pounded on anything he could find. Alvieri made himself at home in Randee’s arms and took a nap.
• Seeing Fidencio bouncing on the bed so excited and then watching him watch himself on a video play back of the same event and hearing him laugh hysterically and joyfully was a highlight for everyone.
• Watching the tons of diapers and formula being unloaded from the trailer and being stacked on tables was such a kick. Knowing the items will go to moms who cannot provide either for their babies makes my heart happy.
• The construction crew, kitchen staff, and Team Center hosts were pretty much the same as last year and it was fun to see familiar faces and continue the good and rewarding work of building trust with these folks who are becoming friends.
• Hosted a food outreach and craft time for the neighborhood. Highlights included watching Mauri hangout with the smallest of the kids and color pictures; Sage and I pushing kids on swings while they called out “¡Hola, bebé!” and “¡Adiós, bebé!”; watching curiously as the mothers carefully saved the sandwiches for later but ate the chips, ice cream and fruit right away; seeing Jasmine roll in having pushed Fidencio a decent ways in his off-road wheelchair; driving Jasmine and the boys home with Dusty hanging on to the wheelchair out of the back of the van.
• Joining the neighborhood church for their Friday night service. The Anderson kids, John, and Mauri shared two songs with the congregation and Krista shared greetings in Spanish on behalf of the whole group.
• Sweet goodbyes were exchanged on Saturday with hosts Leo and Susy, transportation captain and foreman, Jesús, the ladies who prepared each meal, and family member Krista who flew home from El Paso as the rest of us drove back to Phoenix.

We were supported by so many individuals and families without whom this would not have been possible. We owe a huge THANK YOU to each person who contributed with both financial and prayer support. We really tried to remember that we were representing each person who helped fund the home. When the home was dedicated and the keys handed to Jasmine we let her know that 1) there were many who sent us who provided the means and 2) the home was a gift from God and that we were merely the hands that got to build it for her.

We continue to muse and brainstorm how we can be the greatest help to the people we have met, what continuing assistance we can provide, and how we can empower them to keep changing their lives. It’s only been two trips, but we are definitely developing a love for Juarez, an amor por Juarez.

Last week I found a little list I had jotted down on the plane as we returned home last year. The list was my ideas of how to continue to be part of what’s going on in this colonia. Things like praying for a woman I met who was at about the same point in her pregnancy as I was; looking for videos in Spanish that the pastors there could show; and learning Spanish better. The best idea I had was to encourage whoever it is that does the grocery shopping in a household to add a can of formula and package of diapers to their list each time they do a big grocery run. Or, more simply, set aside the cost of a can of formula and diapers from the grocery budget and send that to Missions Ministries for the purchase and distribution of the items. (Diapers and formula are desperately needed in this community and is a significant amount of the cargo brought into the colonia each trip.) I admit I didn’t follow through well on many of the action items (and am now scrambling to practice as much Spanish as possible before we leave). Sure is easy to just get back into regular life when you return home, isn’t it?

We now wait for the final funds to be raised (we’re more than halfway to the $8300 needed for the build–click if you want to contribute) and for news about the family for whom we will be building a home. They will be our partners in the build. Perhaps they will be moving from an old van or a house made of wooden pallets or corrugated tin. Maybe they will have young children or an elderly mother or father who will survive a frigid winter (yes, it gets cold in Mexico–last year it was below freezing while we were there!) because they have an insulated home. Whatever their case, they deserve a chance to improve their lives and their health through this small thing of a home. A home without plumbing, electricity, carpet, kitchen, sink, closet, shower…just six windows, one door, and three small rooms. Quite simple, but profoundly life changing.

At eight months she’s becoming well traveled. She and Erin made a trip to the DC/VA area to visit Aunt Emily and the whole family will travel together for her first international trip over Thanksgiving. She’s a pro in the car and has been hopping around to some of our photo shoots on the weekends. We are very thankful for a good traveler as we hope to make travel a part this kid’s life.

A couple of shots taken recently, highlighting her serious side:

Keith and Laura were game for hot chocolate/tea and sugar cookie decorating.

Elaborate gingerbread village at the Benson. This year it was Venice.

Breakfast at the Benson is a Macy family tradition that we think is probably about 25+ years old!

Our gift to Erin's parents was a day at Mt. Hood. They opened the snow gear they would use up on our day of snow shoeing.

Christmas Day was also a great time of being together with family and celebrating Christ’s birth. This year we merged Macy and Hatch families together and still managed to have a low-key, relaxing holiday thanks to family who are flexible, welcoming, and fun to be around!

As it turns out it was a fantastic way to spend our Thanksgiving holiday–with family, actively working together toward a goal, in partnership with new friends from this Juarez neighborhood at km 30, sharing the resources with which we are totally blessed, and grateful for the opportunities we have because of where we were born. Over the short 2 1/2 days there, we were continuously humbled by the people we met, the stories we heard, the hospitality extended, the disparity that exists between people who live miles apart (El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico were once one city), and the passion and compassion of the American folks who are “regulars” in the work being done in this community. It was a Thanksgiving like none we have shared in before, but are hopeful to have more like it in the future!

It would take multiple blog posts to adequately share the fullness of our experiences there.For the day by day breakdown of our time in Mexico, we’ll defer to Sherry for her great, detailed account of our days there. As an added bonus, we extended our holiday week and spent the first few days in Arizona enjoying time with our friends, the Rickeys, and family, Dusty, Quinn, and the kids.

Here are some highlights from our eight days of Thanksgiving:

• An early Thanksgiving day with the Rickey family (Saturday before the real day). Turkey and trimmings, football, Beatles Rock Band (Nintendo Wii game), and good company.
• Phoenix Zoo with the Rickey’s followed by a delicious, authentic Mexican meal. Yum!
• Spending time with the Andersons in their new home in Gilbert.
• Getting to see nieces and nephews in action–school concert, softball practice, basketball game–so fun!
• In and Out: double double (me), animal style (John), fries, and strawberry shake (hey, I’m eatin’ for two! )
• Meeting up with family in El Paso and sensing the excitement and energy of the small, but mighty team.
• The fantastic organization and preparedness of Missions Ministries (the organization with whom we were there) and the local folks they have on staff. Without them we wouldn’t have raised the walls and roof of the house in less than two hours from the time we began working Thursday morning. We also wouldn’t have eaten very well without them–the cooks were amazing, providing us with delicious meals three times a day. We were even served a traditional Thanksgiving meal!
• Hearing the stories of transformed lives. Five of the pastors of this community (pop. around 15,000) are former street kids from Ciudad Juarez who ended up in gangs. They were murderers and drug addicts, in and out of jail, and some how all ended up in this community. They each had their own unique story about how they got out off the path they were heading down. Truly renewed and transformed lives. Thanks be to God!
• Seeing a finished home (in under 10 hours of our manpower) and handing the keys to the proud young couple and their sweet little girl.
• Pastor Leo and his dedication and love for a native Mexican Indian population, a 12 hour drive from Juarez.
• The confidence and safety we felt despite being outside of one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
• Hanging out with the local kids–playing soccer, making crafts, trying to have simple conversations in Spanish…
• Doing this all with people we love and trust made it all a bit sweeter. Deepening relationships, getting to know members of the extended family with whom we have had little connection, and being with nieces and nephews we adore.

Who’s in for next year?